Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles

“This law holds:/ That the lover becomes/ like the one he loves;/ For the greater their likeness/ The greater their delight.” St. John of the Cross

Perhaps the popular acronym “WWJD” should sometimes be “WHJD,” for What Has Jesus Done. To speculate what He would do in a particular situation is only possible if we are thoroughly familiar with what He has already done.

We as Christians profess we take Christ as the model of our life. Then His first act must be our first act, the foundation of our life. “God so loved the world that He sent His only Son.” When applied personally to my life, I can understand this to mean, “God was so madly in love with me, that His desire was communion with me and He is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve this union. It is His great delight.”

And so the Second person of the Blessed Trinity became like me. But His likeness is patterned on my true self. Sadly, in my sinfulness, I have fabricated a false self. Communion with God and this false self is impossible. The remedy is complete surrender and dependence as we see in the Incarnation. (more…)